Maxims of the Fianna
“Son of Luga, if armed service be thy design, in a great man's household be quiet, be surly in the narrow pass.
“Without a fault of his beat not thy hound; until thou ascertain her guilt, bring not a charge against thy wife.
“In battle meddle not with a buffoon, for, O mac Luga, he is but a fool.
“Censure not any if he be of grave repute; stand not up to take part in a brawl; have naught to do with a madman or a wicked one.
“Two-thirds of thy gentleness be shown to women and to those that creep on the floor (little children) and to poets, and be not violent to the common people.
“Utter not swaggering speech, nor say thou wilt not yield what is right; it is a shameful thing to speak too stiffly unless that it be feasible to carry out thy words.
“So long as thou shalt live, thy lord forsake not; neither for gold nor for other reward in the world abandon one whom thou art pledged to protect.
“To a chief do not abuse his people, for that is no work for a man of gentle blood.
“Be no tale-bearer, nor utterer of falsehoods; be not talkative nor rashly censorious. Stir not up strife against thee, however good a man thou be.